WHAT IS .45 ACP?
By Are you interested in learning about cartridges? Then, you are at the right place. Here I am going to tell you about .45acp (automatic colt pistol). It is the most traditional and famous cartridge. For learning about the .45 ACP, you should be aware of its historical background first.
Now quickly scroll down and find out further details.
What is .45 ACP: History and background
It was at the beginning of the 20th century when the U.S cavalry was buying handguns. The army and cavalry decide that .38 long colt is not effective because they could not defeat warriors of the Moro rebellion during the American -Philippine war. After the series of tests to determine which caliber should be used, the army concluded that .45 caliber is required in new handguns.
At that time, the colt was busy designing a .41 caliber cartridge. So, when the cavalry shows interest in the .45 caliber, Colt and browning alter the pistol design. The .45 caliber cartridge, popularly known as .45 ACP, was similar to the .45 Smith and Wesson in terms of performance.
Colt’s design passed the second round of tests in 1910 with no failures.
The history depicts the importance of the .45ACP, but what about other things? You should have known about the dimensions and performance as well to clear your thoughts.
Dimensions of .45 ACP:
The .45 ACP was designed to have a case capacity of 1.62ml (25 grains of H2o). The rifling turn rate for the cartridge is 406mm. It has 6 grooves, and the primer type is a large pistol. Moreover, as per the delegation of international Permanente pour I’Epreuve des Armes a Feu Portatives guidelines, the maximum pressure .45 ACP can bear is 130 Mpa (19,000).
Performance of .45 ACP:
The .45 ACP is a viable cartridge gun that is known for accuracy. The cartridge deals with low muzzle blast and flash. Moreover, the recoil is moderate. And guess what? The most important feature of.45 ACP is its operation at a low greatest chamber pressure rating of 21,000 psi. It is much more than 9mm Parabellum which has a pressure rating of 35,000 psi.
.45 ACP has a low-velocity round; that is why it is quite ineffective against body armor. Furthermore, it has a large weight, size, and cost as compared to a parabellum cartridge.
The .45 ACP cartridge is popular because of its effectiveness against human targets. For a bullet, wounding potential is important in terms of bullet dimensions, penetration, and energy. The large diameter of the cartridge helps in lowering blood pressure by creating a deep wound. Moreover, the bullet energy for .45ACP varies from 350 to 550 ft-lbs.
When colt launched .45 ACP, the security department highly benefitted from it because .45 ACP combines the resistance power with controlled penetration, making it ideal for cops. The new and modified version of .45 ACP handguns contains double-stack magazines containing 14 cartridges.
Many police units in the USA are still using .45 pistol round. However, the .45 ACP, due to its greater length, has a longer and wider grip which makes it difficult to use by a small hand shooter. Nowadays,45 ACP is also getting popular among sport shooters.
The .45 ACP rounds fired from firearms are subsonic, making them powerful because other weapons usually have supersonic rounds.
Advantages of .45 ACP:
- The first important things are its popularity and several options for ammunition.
- Advanced technology usage makes it a big hit.
- Easy to reload.
Disadvantages of .45 ACP:
- Heavier weight
- Expensive design
- Low capacity
Recommendation for beginners:
Among many guns available in the .45 ACP range, here are some recommendations for beginners.
Smith & Wesson M&P Sheild .45:
The most reliable and smallest pistol with lightweight available today in .45’s ACP range. You can find 6+1 and 7+1 capacity.
Glock 36, 21, and 30:
Anyone who belongs to the guns industry is familiar with the name Glock. Glock’s offers the best pistols because of its durability and aftermarket. It is a good pistol for a beginner. Glocks come with magazines ranging from 6 to 10 rounds.
1911:
The most classic handgun. It is the oldest gun that offers .45ACP. The gun is heavy with a weight of 35-45oz and holds 7+1, 8+1 rounds.
Wrapping up:
The newer versions of .45 available in the market are .45 super and .460 ROWLAND. The super range is identical to .45ACP; however, the super range consists of maximum pressure 28,500 psi. Moreover, the Rowland range is 0.057” longer than the traditional ones to avoid being chambered in standard .45ACP firearms. The Rowland is developed to operate on 40,000 c.u.p, but it can only be used for specific design firearms. In conclusion, we can say that .45 ACP is the best home defense gun. Moreover, the coolness factor associated with .45 ACP is that it’s a “battle-tested” gun. [sc name=”faq2questions” q1=”What is .45 ACP?” a1=”It is the most traditional and famous cartridge. For learning about the .45 ACP, you should be …” q2=”Performance of .45 ACP:” a2=”.45 ACP has a low-velocity round; that is why it is quite ineffective against body armor…” ]
